(HONOLULU) – They’re fast and stable; and given Hawai‘i’s frequently rough waters, the two new Sea Blade 23 law enforcement vessels acquired the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE), fit the bill. Today one of the 23-foot long, aluminum, center-control console boats, the Malama Kai II, was blessed during a ceremony at the Keehi Small Boat Harbor. It will be based on Oahu and used by DOCARE’s Marine Enforcement Unit. The other vessel has been in service at Kona on Hawai‘i Island for several months and will be blessed at a later date. Officers are using it there to enforce rules associated with swimming with dolphins and other marine animals, as well as for general law enforcement purposes.
DOCARE
HOOKIPA, MAUI - Shortly after 5 p.m. today Maui Police Department notified DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) of a shark bite at Hookipa beach park. The male victim was surfing at a point at Hookipa.
(Honolulu) – Maintaining and caring for (to malama) a remote wilderness park is a daunting, expensive, and labor-intensive task. When the leadership of the Hawai’i Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) elected this year to put renewed emphasis on the spectacular Napali Coast State Wilderness Park on Kaua’i, they knew that many years of unpermitted activity, an often-times unforgiving environment and unprepared or unwary visitors would continue to create a special set of challenges and opportunities.
(Kahului, Maui) – The three DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources (DOCARE) officers, assigned to the North Maui Community Fisheries Enforcement Unit (CFEU) are all Maui natives. They have a real and special connection to the 17-miles of state-controlled ocean water on Maui’s north shore. The CFEU, a partnership between the state with initial funding from Conservation International and the Harold C.K. Castle Foundation, was established to put sharp focus on a heavily used area; both by people recreating and by fishers. It’s those who fish that Officers Jeffrey Kinores, Nathan Hillen, and Joshua Rezentes focus their efforts on. In the three years since the establishment of this special unit, they’ve been able to shift their attention from enforcement to outreach and education. Also, while the first two years efforts were focused on illegal netting, the favorable weather conditions this past year saw officers shift to monitoring diving activity. In CFEU’s first year of operations (2013-2014), officers issued 41 total citations; 22 were for net violations. For the period beginning in 2015 and continuing until today, they issued 31 citations, including seven for netting violations and 14 for diving violations. That includes illegal take of lobster and undersized fish or exceeding bag limits.
HONOLULU -- Hawai‘i Environmental Court Judge Randal Shintani has imposed a fine of $600 upon Ming Ren Yan, captain and owner of the shrimp fishing vessel Da Opailolo II. The case stems from fall 2015, when Da Opailolo II was illegally mooring in Wai‘anae Small Boat Harbor.
HONOLULU -- Environmental Court Judge Linda Luke on Friday imposed a fine of $250 upon a defendant who was apprehended using an illegal throw net to catch oama. Additionally, the defendant’s net was ordered for destruction as contraband fishing gear. The case stems from October 2015, when an off-duty Division of Conservation and Resource Enforcement (DOCARE) officer observed the defendant, Keith Sonoda, catching oama with an illegal throw net at Maunalua Bay Beach Park.
HONOLULU -- Environmental Court Judge Linda Luke in Honolulu District Court imposed a fine of $205 on July 8, upon a defendant who was apprehended taking undersize papio. The case stems from September 2015, when a Division of Conservation and Resource Enforcement (DOCARE) officer observed the defendant, Konsida Pelep, taking an undersized papio while fishing with a handline in the Diamond Head area. Upon making contact and inspecting Pelep’s catch, the DOCARE officer discovered six (6) undersized papio. Papio is the Hawaiian term used to identify juvenile phase ulua, which can grow to over 150 pounds. The largest of Pelep’s six fish measured nine inches, weighing less than two pounds.
HONOLULU -- An overturned boat that has been spotted from the air several times since three fishermen were reportedoverdue northwest of Oahu, on Monday July 4, has been found on a remote beach on Kauai’s north shore.
(KAHULUI, MAUI) –46 criminal citations were written and 10 off-road motorcycles were impounded as evidence after officers from the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) observed illegal dirt biking in Maui’s Kula Forest Reserve on Sunday, July 3, 2016.
(HONOLULU) – Officers from the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) patrolled on land and in the ocean on this Independence Day holiday to keep ocean users safe during what’s become known as the Waikiki flotilla or Floatopia. As of late afternoon only one person had been cited and no one had been arrested or injured as DOCARE officers focused on safety for the estimated 1000 people on boats, stand-up paddle boards, inflatable rafts, mattresses, and an infinite variety of floating toys.